A Bond Beyond Brothers
by elvenprincess15
Summary: Semi-Modern AU, taking place before the Revolutionary War. Myrddin and Artur(the Irish names for Merlin and Arthur) were born and raised in Northern Ireland. They go out on a trip, and get captured by slavers. They are taken to Great Britain, then to the colonies. Will they ever escape? And can their strong bond remain that way? T to be safe
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Did you pack enough food?"

"Yes Mum. I packed enough food for three days." Artur answered his anxious mother. He and his little brother were going on an overnight camping trip. They had been planning it for weeks, and their mother had finally given them permission to go.

"Did you remember Myrddin's jacket? You know how easily he gets sick."

"Yes Mum. I packed it myself."

"Did you…"

"Mum, we have everything we need. We'll be fine." Artur interrupted. The brothers had planned on leaving at first light, but Ygraine had insisted that they have every little thing.

"I know, it's just…"

"You're worried about Myrddin." It was a statement, not a question. Ygraine nodded. "He's never been away from home before."

"I promise you, I will keep him safe, and I will bring him home." Ygraine nodded again, and pulled her fifteen-year-old son into an embrace. She hated it when Balinor took him on trips, and now her thirteen-year-old baby was going alone with his brother.

Just then, Balinor and Myrddin walked in. They'd been saddling the two horses for the trip. "Are we ready to go Myr?"

"Yeah! Da showed me how to prepare the horses!" His eyes were bright with excitement. Balinor ruffled his hair affectionately. "Now mind your big brother."

"Don't worry Da. If he doesn't, I'll put him in a headlock." Artur chuckled when a slightly terrified look flashed in Myrddin's eyes.

The family went out to the horses. They had four horses total, and all of them were Gypsy Vanner stallions. One was pure white, named Alexander; another was a black and white pinto, named Gypsy(**so original, I know**); the third was a chestnut, named Calypso; and the final one was a chestnut and white pinto, named Nicholas. Myrddin was going to ride Calypso, and Artur had Gypsy. Ygraine gave the boys one last hug, then they mounted up. "Now remember, there have been reports of slavers in the area. Be extra careful where you go and where you sleep." Balinor warned.

"Yes Da." Artur responded. The boys waved one last time, then they trotted their horses down the lane. When their family's potato farm was behind them, they pushed their horses into a canter. The beautiful Irish countryside flew by as they sped up.

Around noon, they rested in a field of wildflowers. The woods they would be spending the night in were less than a mile away. They filled their water skins in a nearby stream, then watered their horses. After eating some bread and an apple, they mounted up and continued on.

When they reached the woods, they started hunting around. By sunset they had caught four rabbits. Being the better cook, Myrddin made rabbit stew. While Artur went to collect more firewood, Myrddin went to look for one more herb for the stew. When they returned, everything appeared the same as when they'd left. Myrddin finished the stew the stew, and he served it with some bread.

As he was eating, Artur reflected on his brother. Artur had expected him to be more anxious about being away from home. Instead, he'd been full of energy and excitement; Artur himself was excited. If this trip went well, maybe their mum would let them go off more often.

After they'd finished, they went to a stream close by to clean their plates. For some weird reason, they started to feel really sleepy. They put down their bedroll, and slept back to back. Little did they know that someone was lurking in the forest.

**A.N. Look! A new story! I started this last year, and am finally posting it here. I will update it as soon as I can:) Love y'all!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_ Italics mean that they are speaking in Gaelic(Irish)_

****When Artur woke up, he noticed three things. One was that he was feeling groggy. The second was that he couldn't move his arms. The third thing he noticed was that there was something in his mouth, and it wasn't a pleasant something. Artur jerked his head up when he heard a voice say, "Looks like Goldie is finally awake."

"Yeah", another voice said. "Raven's been awake for the past hour." At the mention of his brother, Artur whipped his head around. Myrddin was still next to him, and was similarly tied up. Myrddin's eyes and body language showed that he was terrified, and he had a good reason to be. They'd been captured by slavers.

"Now that they're awake, we can finally leave", the first man said. The only way to distinguish one man from another was their voices. Both men wore dark tunics and breeches, and they had hoods on. The first man grabbed Artur by the rope on his wrists, led him over to Gypsy, and tied him to the saddle horn. The second man took Myrddin to Calypso and did the same thing.

The slavers took everything, mounted the horses, and started trotting. The horse' pace forced the brothers to jog and occasionally run. Because of the pace, terrain, and his own clumsiness, Myrddin tripped more than once. After about the fifth fall, the men actually took notice, and slowed the horses down to a walk.

Throughout the day, the men stopped and gave them water, as well as food. At dusk, the men stopped to make camp. The brothers were untied from their horses, the retied to a ring the second man had brought, which was then inserted into the ground via a stake. The brothers were ungagged, and given more water and some bread. This also gave them some time to talk. _"Artur, I'm scared. I want to go home."_

****Artur opened his arms as wide as they would go, and beckoned Myrddin towards him. Myrddin slid under his arms, and put his head on his shoulder. _"I want to go home"_, he said again, starting to cry. _"It's okay Myrddin. I promise to bring you home." _After a few minutes, Myrddin's sobs subsided. _"Feeling better?",_ Artur asked. _"Yes"_, Myrddin responded.

Myrddin slid back out of Artur's arms. One of the slavers came over, carrying a single bedroll and blanket. "This is all we can give you. By the way, my name is Agravaine, and my partner is Cenred." The brothers only knew a little bit of English, but they caught the names of their captors. _"Thank you." _When Agravaine gave him a puzzled look, he said, "Thank you." Agravaine nodded, then left them alone.

They snuggled together, then Myrddin asked, _"Can you sing me a song, the one Mum used to sing."_

_ "Which one?"_

_ "The one with the angels." _Myrddin looked up, and Artur couldn't resist his puppy face. He nodded, then started singing. _"Lay down your head, and I'll sing you a lullaby, back to the years of loo-li lai-lay. And I'll sing you to sleep, and I'll sing you tomorrow, bless you with love for the road that you go. May there always be angels to watch over you, to guide each step of the way. To guard you, and keep you, safe from all harm. Loo-li loo-li lai-lay." _ When Artur looked back down, Myrddin was snuggled up to his shoulder. He smiled, and said, _"I Promise to bring you home Myrddin."_ He laid his head over Myrddin's, and fell into a peaceful sleep.

**A.N. Yay! Chapter 2 is posted:D I'll update when I can, but my life is gonna become really hectic, and them I won't have a laptop(maybe) for at least 18 days. Anyway, the song that I used is called "Sleepsong" by Secret Garden. Hope you're enjoying this story:) Love y'all!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The night passed too quickly for the brothers. Artur woke up first, and Myrddin was still curled up next to him. Artur smiled, and was jsut about to wake him when he felt someone grab his jaw. His eyes widened, and his head started turning. He locked eyes with the other slaver, Cenred. Cenred pried his mouth open, and pulled a bone from his pocket. The bone had bristles attached, and Artur realized it was a toothbrush(**A.N**. **yes, I did research that**). He relaxed, and let Cenred continue.

When he'd finished, Cenred walked over to Myrddin. However, instead of waking him up, he just grabbed Myrddin's jaw. Myrddin's eyes shot open, and he started struggling. _"Myrddin, calm down. He just wants to brush your teeth." _Artue quickly said. Myrddin looked up at him, and at his nod, he loosened his jaw, and let Cenred do it. When Cenred finished, he pulled out a hairbrush. Artur stood up, and said, _"Please, let me do it. My brother will calm down if we can do something familiar."_

By God's goodness, Cenred understood him. He nodded, gave the brush to Artur, and loosened their hands. Stunned, Artur said, _"Thank you."_ Cenred nodded, and walked away. Artur turned back to Myrddin. He gesturned for Myrddin to turn around. After he did so, Artur untied the black leather strap holding in Myrddin's hair. Running the comb through the thick, black locks, Artur whispered comforting words to a frightened Myrddin. Artur retied his brothers hair in a low ponytail, and gave the brush to Myrddin. Myrddin took great care with Artur's hair, treating it like it was gold. Artur knew that Myrddin found comfort in doing familiar tasks. He gently tied the golden locks with a light brown strip of leather.

Myrddin handed the brush back to Artur, who then put it on the ground. He was expecting somone to take it, but there was no one there. He looked around, and saw both Agravaine and Cenred facing the oppposite way, not paying attention to their captives. He also saw that the horses had moved closer to them. Artur got an idea.

He motioned to Myrddin to move closer, and whispered the plan in his ear. _"Do you think it'll work?"_ Myrddin asked. Artur nodded, and quickly untied Myrddin's hands. Myrddin untied Artur, counted to 3, and made a mad dash to the horses.

**A.N. sorry for such a short update. the next chapter will be longer, because this was almost like a filler chapter. again, sorry. love y'all! see you soon:)**


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